Broncos trade out of first round of NFL draft

By ARNIE STAPLETON - AP Pro Football Writer
    2012-04-26 23:37

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - As the draft droned on and the Denver Broncos slid down the board, John Elway's cellphone buzzed yet again.

No, it wasn't another general manager calling to pitch another trade. It was a buddy offering advice via text.

``Need to pick, can't have another drink.''

The Broncos, though, traded out of the first round entirely Thursday night, sending the draft partyers home disappointed.

The Broncos owned the 25th overall selection when the draft began and traded down twice, leaving them without a first-rounder for the first time since 2005.

``Well, we didn't get any better yet,'' Elway said, ``but we will tomorrow.''

The Broncos initially traded down six spots, acquiring the 31st overall pick and a fourth-rounder (No. 126 overall) from New England for the 25th selection.

Then, they sent both of those picks to Tampa Bay for the Buccaneers' second-rounder, No. 36 overall, and the 101st selection, in the fourth round.

``I can understand the fans being a little bit disappointed,'' Elway said. ``They want to get excited and see who's going to be the next Denver Bronco. I think everybody naturally wants to do that. But that will be over as soon as we get started tomorrow.''

Several players with first-round grades - defensive tackles Jerel Worthy of Michigan State and Kendall Reyes of Connecticut, along with Stanford tight end Coby Fleener and Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill among them - are still on the board and could be there when the Broncos make the fourth pick of the second round.

The Broncos' greatest need is a big man who can pressure the pocket from the middle, between edge rushers Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, but when Dontari Poe, Fletcher Cox and Michael Brockers were all taken in the middle of the first round, the Broncos began entertaining offers to move down.

``Everyone else saw the talent that we saw there, too,'' Elway said. ``Those guys started going like that and went in a hurry. We thought we were going to have to get a little bit lucky for them to fall to us anyway, but they're great football players. And so they didn't get to us; that gave us the opportunity to start moving back.''

Elway said he figures the same players will be available at 36 that were there at 31 or even at 25, so moving up 25 spots in the fourth round was worth it.

``We really believe that this is a deep draft. It's not real thick at the top but it's deep through the middle rounds,'' Elway said. ``So we thought adding another pick would give us more options going into tomorrow and plus we'd still have the people we really had targeted that made it to us at 25, we'll still have them at 36.

``I mean, obviously, it's a little bit of a downer when you don't have a new player but we're excited about where we sit and the next two days are going to be exciting.''

With a half-dozen picks in the next three rounds, no one should be surprised if Elway isn't done dealing, either.

``Everything's a possibility,'' Elway said. ``It gives us some good currency to do some things if we decide we wanted to do something tomorrow.''

The Broncos won't change their philosophy or draft board overnight, however. They still believe in getting the best player available and if that happens to fit one of their many needs, all the better.

``We worked so hard on that board, we're going to stay true to the board and the way we grade everybody,'' Elway said. ``We did stay true with what we did today in moving back the way we did. The guys that we liked and targeted we believe have a chance to be there. There was a big enough group of guys there that we liked that we believe they'll be there at 36.''

The Broncos own eight picks over the next two days, and Elway's desire to find several impact players hasn't changed.

``We want to find a couple tomorrow,'' Elway said. ``Any time you're picking in the second - we've got two in the second and then one in the third - so we still feel like those impact guys are there and if they're not impact, they're definitely contributors. So are the fourth-round guys. And we've done a lot in free agency this offseason, but you know, we also still need to add a lot of depth with young guys, too.

``As we talked about last year, we're not going to fix this thing overnight, we're not going to fix it with one draft. There will be those impact guys. Plus, we'll be able to get a lot of quality young football players, which is what we need to do to be able to build this base.''

---

Follow AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

Fantasy Football Player Notes RSS FeedPLAYER NOTES

Le'Veon BellMay 20 10:12a

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's chance at starting this season will be determined by how quickly he will be able to pick up the offense. If Bell struggles to [ More ]

Mike GillisleeMay 20 10:11a

Miami Dolphins RB Mike Gillislee is expected to compete with RBs Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas for the starting running back job during offseason workouts and training camp.

Mike GlennonMay 20 10:09a

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano said he believes QB Mike Glennon can play quickly and has not ruled out the possibility of Glennon taking over the starting [ More ]

Thaddeus LewisMay 20 10:04a

Cleveland Browns QB Thaddeus Lewis is not expected to make the team following the signing of QB Brian Hoyer. QB Brandon Weeden is expected to be the starter, with [ More ]

Jason CampbellMay 20 09:56a

Cleveland Browns QB Jason Campbell is clearly bigger than QB Brandon Weeden and appeared to perform better than Weeden during organized team activities Thursday, May 16.

Mike GoodsonMay 20 09:53a

New York Jets RB Mike Goodson was arrested Friday, May 17, and charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession of paraphernalia, unlawful possession of a loaded handgun [ More ]

Roy HeluMay 19 09:42p

The Washington Redskins have seven running backs on the roster right now, with only RB Alfred Morris guaranteed of a job in Washington this season. Based on the current [ More ]

Emmanuel SandersMay 19 09:42p

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Emmanuel Sanders is projected to take over the spot of departed WR Mike Wallace (Dolphins) at split end, at least for one year.

Brooks ReedMay 19 09:42p

Houston Texans LB Brooks Reed (groin) said Sunday, May 19, that he is healthy for the beginning of the team's organized team activities (OTAs), and he said he is [ More ]

Troy PolamaluMay 19 09:42p

Pittsburgh Steelers SS Troy Polamalu has a history of blowing off the voluntary portion of spring drills to train with his guru, Marv Marinovich, in the Los Angeles area. [ More ]

Casey HamptonMay 19 09:42p

When organized team activities (OTAs) open Tuesday, May 21, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have at least three new faces among the starters. LB Jason Worilds is in for the [ More ]

Dion LewisMay 19 09:32p

The Cleveland Browns feel confident WR Travis Benjamin and RB Dion Lewis can handle the return duties, which is why fan favorite WR Joshua Cribbs (Raiders) (knee) was allowed [ More ]

Dion LewisMay 19 09:32p

The Cleveland Browns like the speed of RB Dion Lewis, especially as a third-down back. Lewis might also be in the mix to return kicks.

Steve SmithMay 19 04:22p

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WRs Tiquan Underwood, Kevin Ogletree, Steve E. Smith and Chris Owusu are expected to be candidates for the No. 3 wide receiver job.

Derek LandriMay 19 04:13p

Tampa Bay Buccaneers DTs Akeem Spence, Derek Landri and Gary Gibson will compete for the starting nose tackle job during offseason workouts and training camp.

Roy HeluMay 19 03:32p

Washington Redskins RBs Roy Helu, Evan Royster, Chris Thompson and Jawan Jamison are expected to compete for two roster spots during offseason workouts and training camp. Helu and Thompson [ More ]

Michael VickMay 19 03:12p

Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick said head coach Chip Kelly has helped him with his ball security by showing him a new way to hold the ball. 'The other [ More ]

Jordan CameronMay 19 02:12p

The Cleveland Browns plan to throw a lot to TE Jordan Cameron this season. Cameron has been targeted on several deep passes during organized team activities.

Rob GronkowskiMay 19 02:02p

New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski (forearm, back) is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday, May 20, on his injured forearm. The doctors are expected to take cultures from his [ More ]

Jason CampbellMay 19 01:52p

Cleveland Browns QB Jason Campbell is expected to enter training camp as the favorite for the No. 2 quarterback job but will have to compete with QB Brian Hoyer for the role.

David GarrardMay 19 01:42p

Retired QB David Garrard (knee) was struggling with deeper passes during New York Jets offseason workouts this offseason because his knee prevented him to drive the ball. Garrard did [ More ]

Charles GodfreyMay 18 09:32p

The Carolina Panthers were busy re-stocking their secondary during the offseason, but it appears FS Charles Godfrey will serve as the team's starting free safety.

Tony PashosMay 18 09:32p

Washington Redskins OT Tyler Polumbus is likely to retain his starting job at right tackle over OTs Tony Pashos and Jeremy Trueblood. He thinks Washington is the best place [ More ]

Brandon WeedenMay 18 04:22p

The Cleveland Browns are expected to take QBs Brandon Weeden, Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer and Thaddeus Lewis to training camp this season.

Titus YoungMay 18 04:12p

Detroit Lions LB Stephen Tulloch said he was with free-agent WR Titus Young (Rams) on an airplane and that Young showed him a document that explained the mental disorder [ More ]

Tony PashosMay 18 03:33p

Washington Redskins OT Tyler Polumbus is expected to be the favorite for the starting right tackle job but will compete with Jeremy Trueblood and Tony Pashos for the job. [ More ]

Brandon WeedenMay 18 03:12p

Cleveland Browns QB Brandon Weeden said he was surprised with the team's signing of QB Brian Hoyer but understands it is a part of the business. 'I was surprised, [ More ]

Adrian WilsonMay 18 02:52p

New England Patriots SS Tavon Wilson said he has been working with SS Adrian Wilson this offseason in order to learn from the veteran. 'He's been a great player [ More ]

Mike GoodsonMay 18 02:52p

New York Jets OG Willie Colon said he does not think RB Mike Goodson will remain with the team after being arrested earlier this week. 'It's one of the [ More ]

Marcus ThigpenMay 18 02:32p

The Miami Dolphins will have auditions for their kick and punt returner jobs during offseason workouts and training camp, but RB Marcus Thigpen is expected to handle both roles.

Koa MisiMay 18 02:22p

Miami Dolphins LBs Koa Misi, Jelani Jenkins and Josh Kaddu may compete for the starting strongside linebacker job during training camp.

Brandon GibsonMay 18 02:22p

Miami Dolphins WRs Brandon Gibson and Armon Binns are expected to compete for the No. 3 wide receiver job during offseason workouts and training camp.

RSS Feeds

NFL News:
 
Player Notes:
 
Forum Posts:
 

© 2013 RealTime Fantasy Sports, Inc.
Email Us  ·  Call Us 636.447.1170  ·  Lost Password
Advertising represented by USA Today Sports Media Group